1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to three-dimensional modeling of shapes based on images of the same object acquired by a pair of cameras.
2. Background
Inputting information about the shapes and positions of objects in a three-dimensional scene is a difficult and tedious task without the help of automation. Such information is useful in three-dimensional animation, machine vision (shape analysis/recognition as in quality control of manufactures), analysis of the dynamics of events from auto collisions to animal behavior, as well as user-interfaces which rely on gesture recognition, and bio-authentication. The applications are tremendous. There are also methods that provide some of the benefits of three-dimensional modeling using pure visual data, such as by morphing an image from one vantage to another to create the effect of panning, but these fall far short of the power of true three-dimensional modeling.